Tech Talents LatAm #18
Ex-leaders at Rappi launch a new Proptech, ex-Customer Success Director at VTEX's new Healthcare startup, ex-Head of Engineering at Tino in stealth, and much more...
Welcome to Tech Talents! In this newsletter, I share real-time key talent movements in the LatAm tech ecosystem, including founders entering and exiting stealth mode, executive-level movements in unicorns, and partner-level changes in local VC firms.
Before we dive into this week’s talent movements, here’s a breakdown of what I’ve been reading recently. Feel free to skip directly to this week’s updates by clicking here.
Mark Zuckerberg shared a video announcing changes to Meta’s content moderation policies. Most notably, the company is replacing fact-checkers in the US with community notes, meaning that instead of hiring third-party fact-checking organizations to moderate harmful content, Facebook’s parent company will now implement a system where its own users can add notes to potentially misleading posts. This is particularly relevant given that over half of US adults get news from social media. To learn more about the changes, check out this podcast.
NVIDIA shared its first public move in the Quantum Computing space by announcing its Quantum Day at GTC 2025 on Thursday, March 20. Alongside the announcement, the company’s CEO expressed his view that practical applications of Quantum Computing are are likely 20 years away. To keep it simple, traditional computer systems use bits, which represent either 1 or 0. Quantum computers, on the other hand, use qubits—units that can exist in multiple states simultaneously, such as 1, 0, and anything in between. In practical terms, quantum computers can perform certain computing challenges that would take traditional supercomputers 10 septillion years in less than 5 minutes, potentially revolutionizing tasks like optimizing logistics, streamlining operations, and uncovering insights at unprecedented speeds.
OpenAI’s recent o1 reasoning model seems to randomly start thinking in Chinese even when users ask questions in English. Experts are unsure why this happens, and OpenAI has not provided an explanation. This serves as another reminder of how opaque AI systems can be and underscores the importance of transparency in artificial intelligence models.
A startup aiming to bring back the woolly mammoth and two other extinct species raised a $200M Series C round at a $10.2 billion valuation. While restoring extinct species to enhance biodiversity is already a noble enough mission, the company is also creating several new technologies with potential applications in general fertility treatment.
Latitud, a LatAm early stage venture capital firm, is relaunching its Fellowship program. Designed for founders in the ideation phase, the program includes eight weeks of customized sessions, mentorship opportunities, and connections with fellow cohort members, as well as meetings in both Latin America and Silicon Valley. Only 10 founders will be selected.
🎊 Startup Launches
Founders who have just publicly announced what they are working on.
Liora Energia
Overview
Startup Description: Liora is transforming the energy market with technology, bringing the customer's perspective to make it simpler and more accessible.
Announcement Post: Click here
Industry: Energy
Team Size: 11
Time in Stealth: 7 months
Founder Profile
Renata Feijó – Founder at Liora Energia
Renata was featured as a Stealth Founder on Tech Talents #5.
Founder Highlights: Top University, Unicorn Experience
Previous Experience: Ex-Chief People & Legal Officer at Loft, ex-Head of Legal, Institutional Relations and Compliance at Guiabolso, ex-Head of Legal at Moip Pagamentos, ex-Legal Counsel at FIESP, bachelor of Law from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, post graduate degree in Public Law from PUC São Paulo, and courses from Stanford University, Ohio University, and FGV.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Paggo
Overview
Startup Description: Paggo helps the construction market optimize finances: pay, collect and reconcile effortlessly.
Industry: Fintech, Proptech
Team Size: 3
Time in Stealth: 3 years
Founders Profiles
Thomas von Buettner – Co-Founder at Paggo
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Masters, Top University, Unicorn Experience, Ex-Consultant
Previous Experience: Ex-Head of Operations CPGs at Rappi, ex-Associate at McKinsey & Company, ex-Founder at Polaris Investments, ex-Analyst at Enterprise First Assessoria e Participações, ex-Co-Founder at Instituto Sivis. Wharton MBA/MA.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Igor Bentes – Co-Founder at Paggo
Founder Highlights: Masters, Top University, Unicorn Experience, Ex-Consultant
Previous Experience: Ex-Expansion & Product at Rappi, ex-Consultant at McKinsey & Company, Wharton MBA.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: Brazil
Pulso
Overview
Startup Description: An AI assistant that adjusts to your metabolism and makes it easy to track macro and micronutrients.
Industry: Healthcare
Team Size: 1
Time in Stealth: 3 months
Founder Profile
Lucas Janon – Co-Founder at Pulso
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Technical Founder
Previous Experience: Ex-Head of Product Engineering at ZetaChain, ex-Co-Founder & Head of Tech at designstripe, ex-CTO at TuSecreto, ex-Technical Co-Founder at Güeno, ex-Founder at Traderinos.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: Argentina
Flora Fertilidad
Overview
Startup Description: Flora offers fertility plans that guarantee a baby or your money back, with accessible financing and compassionate support every step of the way.
Industry: Fintech, Healthcare
Team Size: 8
Time in Stealth: 10 months
Founder Profile
Bruno Marino – Co-Founder & CEO at Flora Fertilidad
Founder Highlights: Masters, Unicorn Experience
Previous Experience: Ex-Chief Growth Officer at Vitau, ex-Customer Success Director at VTEX, ex-Ecommerce Sr Manager at Farmacity S.A., ex-Operations Manager at Mercadoni, ex-Digital Marketing Team Leader at Fravega SACIEI, ex-Professor at Universidad de Buenos Aires.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: Mexico
🤫 Talents Entering Stealth
Talents with relevant experiences who have just entered stealth mode.
Guilherme Garcias Soares de Sá – CTO & Co-Founder at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Technical Founder, Unicorn Experience, Soonicorn Experience
Previous Experience: Ex-Head of Engineering at Tino, ex-Engineering Manager at Nubank, ex-Engineering Manager at Catho, ex-Software Engineer at Deal Technologies. Academic background includes a Bachelor's in Information Systems and a Bachelor's in Computer Science from Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 1 month
Gabriel Villafuerte – Chief Scientific Officer & Cofounder at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Doctorate, Y Combinator Alumni
Previous Experience: Ex-Chief Medical Officer at Actipulse Neuroscience, ex-Head of Clinical Research at Actipulse Neuroscience, ex-Research Collaborator at Actipulse Neuroscience, ex-Associate Professor at UVM. Academic background includes a PhD in Neuroscience and MD from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: Ciudad de México, México
Time in Current Position: 1 month
Salomón Muriel Urbina – Education Entrepreneur at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Previous Exit, Ex-Corporate
Previous Experience: Ex-Director of Technology for New Product Development at R5, ex-Co-Founder and CEO at Finco.co (acquired by RED Atlas), ex-Founder and CEO at Beriblock, ex-CEO at PrestaGente (acquired by Taurus Capital), ex-Research & Insights Analyst at British American Tobacco. Academic background includes a degree in Economics from Universidad de Los Andes.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: Bogotá, Colombia
Time in Current Position: 1 month
🦄 Unicorn Movements
Promotions, new hires, and other movements in local unicorns’ executive-level.
Felipe Cavalcanti – Chief Technology Officer at Wildlife Studios
Previous Role: Director of Engineering at Wildlife Studios
Previous Experience: Ex-Software Engineer at Wildlife Studios, ex-Software Engineer at Smartiks, ex-Software Engineer at Embedded Lab, UFCG.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 1 month
Verônica Lacerda – Chief of Staff & Marketing Manager at Musa
Previous Role: Senior Chief of Staff at unico IDtech
Previous Experience: Ex-Director of Development at NEJ UFU, ex-Director President and Founder of QuímEJ. Academic background includes a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Chemistry from Universidade Federal de Uberlândia.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 1 month
Thaís Escobar – Chief Human Resources Officer at EBANX
Previous Role: HR Director LATAM at Sinch
Previous Experience: Ex-Global Learning & Culture Director at 99, ex-SR HR Business Partner LATAM at Johnson & Johnson, ex-LA Recruitment Branding Lead at IBM, ex-Recruiter at Oracle, ex-Recruiter at Dell Computers. Academic background includes an MBA from FGV, Bachelor of Business Administration from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 1 month
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